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Still in the Saddle—the New John Wayne Museum

Looking at the enduring cult of a controversial movie star.

By

Edward Rothstein

June 9, 2015 5:35 p.m. ET

Winterset, Iowa

‘This is the West, sir,” explains the newspaper editor in John Ford’s “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” (1962) as he destroys his notes to conceal the deflating truth about a U.S. senator. “When legend becomes fact,” he proclaims, “print the legend.” Stick with the myth and don’t let facts get in the way. Such legends can also be enduring, particularly when it comes to Ford’s most favored western star, John Wayne....